


Make It Up To You

by ignitethestars



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-15
Updated: 2017-02-15
Packaged: 2018-09-24 16:22:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9770156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ignitethestars/pseuds/ignitethestars
Summary: After a crappy lunch date on Valentine's Day, Jemma goes to Fitz, who decides to try and cheer his best friend up.Years later, Jemma decides that if the universe doesn't want them to spend their first Valentine's as a couple together, then they will just have to move Valentine's Day to another day.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [memorizingthedigitsofpi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/memorizingthedigitsofpi/gifts).



> Written as part of the Fitzsimmons Secret Valentine's 2017 Exchange for memorizingthedigitsofpi. I hope you like it, dear!

_Valentine's Day, 2006_

 

“Ah, bollocks!” Fitz growled as he snatched his hand away from the prototype of his latest invention, from which a  series of sparks had ignited.

 

Sucking on his mildly burned index finger, Fitz fussed with the device for another moment until it became clear to him that the prototype for the D.R.A.W.F. wasn’t going down without a fight.

 

It sparked again and Fitz ducked instinctively, before he went and hit the off switch as quick as possible. Clearly, there was a short in one of the wires.

 

Fitz sighed and leaned back in his chair. The idea for the D.R.A.W.F had initially seemed quite straightforward, but evidently building the damn thing wasn't going to be as easy as he’d hoped.

 

His back ached from the hours he had spent hunched over the desk and his legs felt numb from lack of use for so long. Fitz stood and stretched; his back cracked a few times, which made him wince. The sound didn't alarm him in the way that it use to when he was a small boy and his mother, Mairi, would chuckle and say “it isn't broken, Leo.”

 

Deciding that a nice cuppa was long overdue, Fitz started toward the small kitchenette of his dorm, but a tingling sensation shot through his leg, halting all movement.

 

“Bloody hell,” Fitz muttered as he hopped toward the kitchen, wincing with each step. Of course his leg would choose to go to sleep _now_ when Fitz was in a dire need of tea.

 

But just as Fitz finally made it to the kitchen, someone knocked furiously on the door.

 

Now thoroughly annoyed and melodramatically wondering if he would ever get his tea, Fitz hobbled to the door and swung it open.

 

Standing before him, wearing a pretty lavender button-up, a black cardigan and a pair of jeans was Jemma Simmons, his best friend and lab partner. She looked disappointed and swept past him and into the room, sinking down on his bed without preamble.

 

“Aren't you suppose to be at lunch with Milton?” Fitz asked, barely containing his disgust as he said the name of Jemma’s current boyfriend. He reminded Fitz a bit of Moose, from those popular Archie comics, but a far uglier and far more placid version.

 

A look of absolute loathing appeared on Jemma’s face at the mere suggestion. Then she sighed and put her head in her hands. “We were at lunch and it ended up being a bloody nightmare.”

 

Fitz sat down beside Jemma. He didn't really want any details on Jemma's love life; however, despite his best efforts, he always seemed to end up as audience to the _Milton and Jemma Show._

 

“He told me that I was _too_ argumentative and too competitive, that he wanted someone more...how did he phrase it? Laid back.” Jemma grumbled irritably.

 

Jemma was probably the most competitive person Fitz knew, but he loved that about her. She was a challenging, complex woman who could either drive you mad or make you fall head over heels in love with her.

 

Fitz fell somewhere in the gray area in between.

 

Not entirely sure what to do, Fitz hugged her. She sighed, burying her face into his shoulder. She did not cry, but instead remained quiet.

 

Part of Fitz wanted to go find Milton and punch him in his perfect teeth for breaking up with Jemma on Valentines, the other half of him somehow wanted to make this up to Jemma.

 

Fitz cast his eyes around his room, trying to puzzle together something he could do...his eyes landed on the series one box set of _Doctor Who._

 

Bingo.

 

Jemma pulled away at last and said, “And that restaurant was absolutely ridiculous, Fitz! The portions were small, the lighting was terrible, and don't even get me started on the _smell_.”

 

“Why don't I make it up to you?” Fitz blurted before he could talk himself out of it. “How about take out a _Doctor Who_ marathon?”

 

Jemma’s expression lit up instantly. “I’d love that! And afterward, we could go over our notes for Professor Vaughn’s class together.”

 

“Ugh, Jemma. You had to go an’ ruin the moment, didn't ya?” Fitz groaned, shaking his head in disgust.

Jemma shoved him playfully on the shoulder.

 

* * *

 

Take out ended up being a pepperoni pizza from a nearby pizzeria that didn't offer any delivery, so Fitz offered to get it while Jemma went back to her dorm for a change of clothes and to get her notes for class.

  


Fitz stepped out of the pizza place, box of pizza in his arms and made his way down the street, back toward the Academy, but stopped at a woman offering (obviously fake) roses at the corner.

 

Was it weird to buy your best friend a rose for Valentines? Even if she’d had a crappy day and you’d do anything for her?

 

Fitz worried at his bottom lip for a moment, then headed up to the woman and chose a small bouquet of yellow roses (yellow was for friendship, right?), paid for it, and made his way back home.

 

* * *

 

 

Just as Fitz arrived at Jemma’s door, it swung open to reveal Jemma standing in front of him in a pair of bright yellow polka-dot patterned pajamas.

 

“You wanted to start with ‘ _Rose_ ’ and work our way up, right?” Jemma asked seriously.

 

“Figured that's what we’d do.” Fitz replied as he stepped inside; his grip on the flowers had grown tighter since he arrived, and his stomach was knotted up with nerves.

 

“Good. As soon as you left, I realized I wasn't sure which episode to start with.” Jemma said, sitting down on her couch as Fitz sat the pizza on the coffee table (flowers hidden behind his back).

 

“The first is always a good start.” Fitz said with what he hoped was a cheeky smile.

 

Jemma rolled her eyes at him and took a slice of pizza out of the box. She then started for the remote, but Fitz blurted:

 

“Simmons, wait.”

 

Jemma looked at him with a look of surprise; Fitz never, _never_ wanted to procrastinate _Who_ and pizza.

“Yes, Fitz?”

 

In one wild movement, Fitz pulled the yellow roses from behind his back and held them out toward her and said, very rushedly, “There was a lady selling them, and you’d had a bad day, so I figured you wouldn't mind but I am not sure if I’m even allowed to get you flowers, but…”

 

“Fitz,” Jemma breathed, sitting aside her slice of pizza and the remote and reaching out for the roses. “They're beautiful.”

 

“They're fake.”

 

Jemma gave him a look that plainly said “ _I’m well aware that they are fake.”_ She stood up and marched to the small kitchenette. Fitz trailed after her and watched as she pulled a glass from the cabinets and plucked the flowers into the makeshift vase. She headed back to the living room and carefully placed them in the center of the coffee table and rounded on Fitz.

 

Simmons gave him a broad smile and leaned forward to kiss him lightly on the cheek. When she pulled away, she said, “Thank you, Fitz.”

 

Fitz smiled back, all nerves dissipated, and followed Jemma back to the couch to begin their marathon.

 

Maybe Valentines Day wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

_Valentine's Day, 2016_

 

“Bloody hell,” Jemma Simmons groaned as she arched her back in a vain attempt to sooth her aching back.

 

Papers were strewn all around her on the mattress she shared with her best friend and boyfriend, Fitz. The worst thing about her new job---apart from having to keep things from her friends---was definitely all the paperwork.

 

Jemma stood and stretched, deciding that maybe if she took her mind off the paperwork for a little while, when she came back to it, she would get done a lot faster.

 

With this in mind, she ducked out of her and Fitz’s bunk and made her way to the kitchen. There were only a few agents mulling about at such a late hour and none of them bothered to say anything to Jemma as she past.

 

A nice cup of tea later, Jemma found herself thinking of Fitz and their (now canceled) plans for the evening. Watching _Doctor Who_ with takeout had been their tradition for years, and neither of them expected this year to be any different.

 

But then, of course, Fitz had been sent off on a mission while Jemma was stuck at the base working on paperwork and whatever else the Director ordered her to do.

 

It was selfish to want their first Valentine’s to be together when the world needed Jemma Simmons, biochemist and Leopold Fitz, engineer. But after everything, Jemma thought they deserved some happiness and romance for _one day._

 

If only Valentine's came twice a year.

 

_Oh! That’s it._

* * *

 

Fitz barely uttered a word during the debrief, absolutely exhausted from the mission. Afterward, he’d immediately gone to the bunk he shared with Jemma.

 

But he only found a surprise there. There were rose petals strewn all across the floor and there was a bucket of ice with a bottle of wine inside sitting atop of one of their night stands. There was a pile of _Doctor Who_ box sets on the bed and there was boxes of Chinese food on the other night stand.

 

“Jemma?” Fitz called. “What is this?”

 

Jemma appeared from their bathroom with a wide grin on her face. She was wearing her favorite pair of pajamas, the yellow polka dot ones. She ran to him and kissed him firmly on the mouth before pulling away to explain.

 

“It’s our Valentine's, Fitz. I figured it wouldn't hurt if we had ours a day late, so I got everything we needed to make tonight ours. If you still want to do our tradition.”

 

Fitz wrapped his arms around her waist. “I _definitely_ want to do our tradition. But there might be more kissing.”

 

“Oh, I count on it.” Jemma replied in a low voice as she stretched up to find his mouth again.

 

Eventually, they made their way to the bed and began their marathon. Fitz did his usual commentary and Jemma only managed to roll her eyes twice at him. Several episodes later, they were no longer paying the TV any attention and were instead sprawled out on the bed together, kissing as though there were no tomorrow.

 

Fitz broke away long enough for them to get some well deserved air. Jemma scooted next to him and draped her arm across his chest and sighed in content.

 

“Fitz?” Jemma said, her eyelids starting to droop.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I love you.”

 

He pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. “I love you too.”


End file.
